The Learning Company - Oregon Trail 5th Edition

As much as you can call a CD-ROM game a classic, Oregon Trail is such. It was one of the first extended play CD games to make good use of the computer over the video game console. So far, it has been through five versions. The second was such an improvement over the first, that users may have had extremely high expectations for the next several versions of the game, but there has never been the leap in graphics or play options since the jump from one to two. However, the smoothness of play, and the speed of the game have improved with each version. While five doesn't have the options that four had, and is in some ways a rehash of the second version, it is still the best. Four had too many bugs and glitches. If you have never played Oregon Trail, or have played only one of the first two versions, I would reccomend five over the other available versions (all are available used through Amazon.com). If you have never played Oregon Trail, at all, you are missing out; OT is a simulation of the journey made in the 1840's by so many Americans from the Mid-West to California. Even though the game is simple, the harshness and difficulty of the journey communicate unmistakably. It is a wonderful simulation. Kids will play it over and over without realizing it's "educational," and adults won't care. This is a great game.

I love this game. I grew up on it and it is a great learning tool. Although they need up update their stuff because while these will run on Windows 10 they don't let you finish the game. After playing some of the game it cuts out and kicks you off the game. My kids were really bummed because they LOVED this game!

Anyone purchases this game to play on a new Mac - system OS10 an above should be aware that this game will be useless to you. The system requires the font New York 18 to run. It is impossible to find and download this font on the internet, and unless you have access to the OS9 system disks, you will be very frustrated and waste much time. I took my laptop to the Apple store and they were able to download the font from an internet site that I have since been unable to find. However, once installed, the game is skippy and the audio sped up. I am sooooo frustrated and unhappy. This was a great game, and I need it for my fourth grade Oregon Trail unit. This information is not stated when you purchase this game - so I hope this post can get moved to the top of the list. IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE (please don't say Google New York 18 - been there - done that - for hours) I would appreciate the help so much. [email protected]

As a kid I remember playing this on a Apple II but when you have less than an hour in the computer lab at school there is not much you can do. I finished my first game with the 5th Edition just last night - a four hour game - and felt good for making it, with all the members of my party alive, four out of the six oxen I started out with, some money, some supplies, a wagon still in on piece and even 10 skill points I didn't use when I made my character. And I was a farmer to boot! Course, I also played at the Greenhorn level but I enjoyed it. And learned a lot. Rest before going up or down hills. Go easy - don't rush. Food is more important than anything else but keeping the wagon working and oxen healthy. I plan to pick my own supplies next time and maybe fish and gather more than hunt - you don't waste ammo when you fish. Frankly, I may just leave the rifle and ammo behind, and just bring a few extra fishing rods. Maybe bring more salt, leave the coffee behind and so on. As you can see I am already planning my next game and that's still at the Greenhorn level. The guide in the game seemed very helpful and you should use it as much as you can - it gives you a lot of information on certain campsites and about the trails themselves. I went slow - 8 miles a day - and made sure that everybody, much of the time, had three meals a day. Even with a lot of mistakes - selling my water keg and trying to rush through the mountains - I still made it. Because of that I would suggest it for kids also. Kids hate it when they die. But if they win, even after all the tough decisions and rough terrain, it will make them feel great. And they learn while they play. Hehe!

we enjoyed this game, but it was hard getting it started initially. first, this game would not work on our newest computer. thankfully we had an old laptop still using windows xp, otherwise we would have been out of luck. there is a learning curve on how to get things going, how to hunt and fish, and how to utilize some other features, but any tech savvy pre-teen will be able to figure it out. the game can be played many times, so a few bad starts aren't a big deal. it really teaches a lot about pioneer life and was a great companion to our unit study for this time period.

is a really cool game. even though its very rigged to make you fail. lots of reviews on this game talked of it not working. it worked perfectly for me. took 2 minutes to install. 3 minutes later was playing it. i think is an automatic update function that needs to be turned on for the games launcher to function. it so primitive that i dont think its had an update since 1848. but the game must use this launcher. its like "Steam". you cant access your game if "Steam" wont start. this does not use "Steam" is more like a schools game launcher program with "wheres carmen san diego" and other learning games.

Didn't have an older version so couldn't play

I loved this game when I was younger and was SO excited to find it here on amazon. It says it's compatible with macintosh computers, but it is not. Didn't work.